Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to determine if family therapy has potential in handling the behaviour problems of children with Tourette syndrome. This study was approached within a system theoretical framework and from an educational psychological perspective. The study was presented as follows: Chapter 1: Conceptualization, formulation of the problem and objectives. Chapter 2: A literature study regarding the spectrum of Tourette syndrome. Chapter 3: A literature study regarding the systematic approach on family therapy. Chapter 4: The methodology used in the study. Chapter 5: A qualitative-ideographic evaluation of the study. Chapter 6: Summary, conclusions and recommendations. Family therapy has potential for the successful treatment of the behavioural problems of children with Tourette syndrome. According to the literature study and the findings of this research, the behaviour problems of children with Tourette syndrome can be treated successfully with family therapy. Family interactions as a whole show improvement, which in turn leads to the better handling of behavioural problems. These findings may be attributed to the small number of families involved in the study - thus more research in this field is needed.